Berridge's Russian invasion

Whanganui-born boxer Robert Berridge has another opportunity to make his mark on the world title picture with a shot at the WBA interim title in Russia next month.

Expat Whanganui boxer Robert Berridge is still determined to insert himself into the world title picture and is packing his winter clothing to go to the depths of Russia to do it.

The 32-year-old signed this week to fight Dmitry Bivol (8-0) in his home country on February 23 for the interim WBA light-heavyweight world title.

His manager Vasco Kovacevic said negotiations for Berridge (29-5-1) to meet the undefeated 26-year-old had first been mooted late last year, before the tournament-style match they had planned to enter was cancelled.

"He went on a smaller show and we went to Canada."

Berridge took on top-ranked Columbian-Canadian Eleider Alvarez and lost a unanimous points decision.

Taking yet another international fight at short notice, Berridge will have a four-week training camp to get into ring shape for the 81kg bout in the city of Perm, on the European side of Russia.

Berridge had once been ranked as high as 12th by the WBA, before taking a tumble in the rankings after some key defeats.

However, he rebounded well on the local scene at the end of 2016 with unanimous points decisions over well-regarded Sam Rapira and Adrian Taihia.

Kovacevic said the interim title, which Bivol won in May last year, could be the springboard to a mandatory challenge to the current top light-heavyweights in the WBA division in American Andre Ward and the Welshman Nathan Cleverly.

Ward is recognised as the "undisputed champion" because he also holds the IBF and WBO versions of the world title, while Cleverly has been given the status of "regular" WBA champion, which he claimed in October.

Kovacevic said the rumours are that Ward will not fight Cleverly as required by the WBA organisation, and if so, then a Berridge victory over Bivol would instantly put Berridge at the head of the rankings to go against Cleverly.

"The interim title has become the hot spot.

"If there's any chance [Ward] vacates, the whole scenario changes and the holder of the interim title becomes the leader of the whole deal.

"We're talking a very good position. It's one good way to get a shot at stardom."

Berridge has said he will "work my arse off" to get in shape for the bout and Kovacevic said he had been doing light training through most of the holidays with the prospect of a top fight being negotiated.

"A lot of the [world] fighters were in camps the whole time [while] Robbie had two weeks to himself.

"His base fitness is good, although no level is good enough in my opinion."

Having welcomed a second child recently with his partner and now preparing for his 37th professional fight, Berridge has set himself these next 18 months to really make a big effort to try to crack the world scene, and earn the kind of money which will allow him to support his family, Kovacevic said.

They have studied Bivol and although the younger man is a very good technical boxer with six knockouts in his eight fights, Kovacevic said he lacks the x-factor of an Alvarez or even a Rapira or Taihia, which makes sparring and preparation easier for the Kiwi veteran.

"[Bivol]'s a quite straight forward fighter, he hasn't developed a flair.

"He's faced some southpaws before, but he's only gone the distance twice into the long rounds.

"Opportunities like this don't get to happen quite often. I think we could be bringing a title back to New Zealand."

Berridge previously challenged for the IBO version of the world title against an above-weight Thomas Oosthuizen in South Africa in 2015, losing a unanimous points decision.

The Berridge team will leave New Zealand to arrive in Russia on February 19, four days before the bout.

Negotiations are ongoing for the bout to be shown live on television in New Zealand.